So my Katy asked me the other day, "Mommy, how do people get fat?" Now, Katy is not by any means overweight, but she is chubbier than Bella and has noticed this fact when comparing their bellies (hers if very cute and round). I answered the question truthfully .... explaining that people get fat if they don't eat healthy foods or too much food or if they don't exercise. So then, later in the day, Katy was running up and down the hall with Bella and told me they were exercising! Now, I don't want my girls to have a complex and am a little worried! How would you have responded?
I am not sure how I would've gone about responding to that. Kayley is like your daughter Katy, but hasn't asked me about that. I think you handle it right telling her the truth, and with younger children you know what goes into them, and everyone's metabolism is different.
Wow, that's tough! You gave her a very good answer, good for you! Maybe there's some way you can explain to her that the important thing is to have a healthy weight, and some people with a healthy weight will look skinny, but some people with a healthy weight will look a bit rounder (like her), and that's VERY different from being fat. You could also tell her that exercise is good for everyone, and she can do as much as she wants - but not because she needs to change anything about her body. Maybe also tell her that whenever she has a checkup at the pedi, the doctor makes sure her weight is healthy, and as long as the doctor says she's ok there's nothing to worry about. Now, how easy any of this is to translate into kid-ese, I don't know... :crazy:
I probably would have responded the same way you did. If you think she continues to try to exercise b/c she notices shes bigger than her sis, I would probably throw something in there about the healthy weight/eating thing as pp mentioned. My DD is kinda the same way, but is thinning as she gets older.
I think you gave a good answer. I would have said the same thing. I do think that this: would also be an excellent thing to explain to her when the topic comes up again. My twins are a little older than yours. Now and again they will talk about excercise and fruit/vegetables being good for you and keeping you healthy and how chocolates/sweets are treats that are not healthy or good for your teeth.
I would have said the same thing. When the responded that they were exercising, I would've said "good for you, you're stayin HEALTHY!" With an emphasis on the healthy. I would lay more emphasis on leading a healthy lifestyle rather then trying to explain that some people, though healthy, are naturally bigger boned than other people.. I would just stick with teaching them which foods are GOOD for you, which ones are just treats (as PP stated) and that everything is fine in moderation.
